Please welcome.......

HARLEY ASPEN MORGAN
Female
Australian Shepherd/Brittney
DOB 9/18/2006
55.2 lbs
Adopted from the SPCA




She is cute, I must admit. But she wasn't my idea!

See, here's the story. I love all animals, especially dogs, but we have been 'dog free' for two years and I have enjoyed it thoroughly. I do not miss the shedding, the barking, the 'messes', etc......
But here's the deal:
We have a backyard full of wild rabbits, which equals destruction to the landscaping. There are families of rabbits in our backyard. I love watching the mommy rabbits and their babies, BUT I don't like seeing them eat my bushes, flowers, etc... Landscaping doesn't come cheap!

So our QUICK solution was - yep, get a dog! And let me tell you - Harley has earned her keep. Within her first 2 hours of being at our house, she caught TWO rabbits! Good girl! That is JUST what we hired her for! Now, obviously, we don't want her to kill the rabbits. That wasn't our intention. We just want her in the backyard to scare away the rabbits. And it's working!

So am I excited about Harley? Yes and No. She's certainly doing her job, which is to scare off the rabbits... But, she still leaves messes outside that I have to clean up, she still sheds (but not bad at all), and all the other stuff that comes with caring for a pet.

Will I fall in love with her? In time, I'm sure I will. The kids already love her. Brent seems to be taking a liking to her. As long as she doesn't start tearing up the inside of the house, then I'm sure we'll bond well....

But does she bark? I have yet to hear this dog bark! Even when she sees other dogs, she doesn't bark. But she's not deaf because she answers when we call her. She's a mystery.

Anyways, please welcome.....

HARLEY ASPEN MORGAN

Back to Blogging......And I begin with stress!

So, Baby Ashlan turned FOUR last week. We all know time flies and children grow like weeds, so I won't go into a long spill about all that. In a nutshell, Ashlan turning FOUR was a huge hit for me.....worse than 1, 2, and 3. FOUR just sounds so big ...

So, for the first time, I am giving Ashlan a birthday party. I'm not one of those moms that hires the circus and fire department for a young child's birthday that has NO CLUE what's going on. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that, but for me, if my baby is too young to understand what's even going on, then why bother.
But the time has come...Ashlan is FOUR...and she is asking for a party. I love it! I am planning my first birthday party ever for Ashlan. It's fun to plan but incredibly stressful. Why do I get so stressed about it?

Luckily, my awesome friends talked me into doing the party 'off the property'. In other words, don't hold the party in your own home. Evidently, that just adds to the stress. So I felt that was good advice.

Therefore, when I asked Ashlan where she wanted to have her party, her response was ' the farm '. Perfect! There is a farm here in town that she LOVES! It offers a petting zoo and hay rides. We have been to a few of Ashlans friends birthday parties there, in the past, and we have enjoyed them. So this seemed like the 'ideal' farm to have her party!

So what am I stressing about? Party favors, the Texas sun/heat, party room/table decor, what color balloons, the list goes on....
And the countdown begins....her party is in 6 days. Granted, I do have 90% of the party planned and bought. I am just so worried about the Texas sun/heat. It can make or break an outdoor party!
Dear God, please give Ashlan a calm, cool, clear day of celebration! Amen.

Here are some pictures of where Ashlan will be having her party. This farm is her heaven on earth!




This is the whole reason Ashlan likes the farm. 'Cuddles' the goat is her favorite friend!




It's going to be such a special party for Ashlan!